A trip to Rome

We’re having a week in Rome. For John, the trip mostly seems to be about rugby and football, whereas I’m imagining wandering around the city, sitting at pavement bars and cafes, soaking up the sights and the atmosphere, while drinking Aperol Spritz and eating pizza and ice cream 😝. We’re joined by our good neighbours, Heather and Gavin, and my best friend from university, Kathy.

The trip started with a little drama when we realised the taxi had been booked two hours too early. This was soon remedied and we enjoyed a relaxing start to the day, with a cup of tea in bed followed by bacon butties.

At the airport, while the others sailed through check in, John and I, more used to travelling by motorhome, showed our ignorance scanning barcodes on our boarding passes the wrong way round and making a meal of attaching our luggage labels.

We’d paid for fast track security, which proved to be a waste of money at this time of year. Heather and Gavin who, compared with us, are more used to travelling outside of school holiday times and hadn’t paid the extra fee, passed through the scanners in a similar time to us. And that was despite Gavin having to remove his 4 coats before they’d let him through!

Despite security being quiet, the airport was busy and there didn’t appear to be many seats available. While Heather and Kathy picked up a bottle of pink gin at a bargain price in duty free, John discovered a hidden bar on his way to the toilet. We grabbed a couple of tables and settled down to wait for our flights with glasses of wine and beer, chatting, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

After picking up some meal deals for lunch, we headed to the gate for the flight where boarding was smooth and fast. We’ve had bad experiences with Ryanair in the past and have been pleasantly surprised how well everything’s gone this time… apart from the bumpy landing in Rome!

We flew over swathes of smooth cotton wool clouds, then stunning snow capped mountains, their tops pink and beautiful in the setting sun. The sky turned from pink to deep orange then black, while the lights in the towns and cities below gradually lit up, sparking far below us.

The taxi was waiting for us and drove us over cobbled streets, past dozens of ancient monuments then through tiny city streets, before finally parking outside a large wooden door. We’ve now checked into our apartment which has lots of character.

Next we sampled the pink gin before heading out to dinner, in a restaurant with lovely frescos and booths, and most importantly good service, and delicious food and wine that didn’t cost too much!